When I purchased my first computer there is nothing that I feared more than "viruses"! Praise God it was a Macintosh computer and immune (it seemed) to the bulk of viruses that were capturing and killing many of my friend's computers.
I will address the following questions:
1) What is a virus? According to Google a virus is "a piece of code that is capable of copying itself and typically has a detrimental effect, such as corrupting the system or destroying data." Microsoft simply describes them as "...small software programs that are designed to spread from one computer to another and to interfere with computer operation." Interesting..."the vast majority of viruses (over 99%) target systems running Microsoft Windows". Wikipedia adds "can be malware (malicious software)...used to disrupt computer operation, gather sensitive information, or gain access to private computer systems"..."...a variety of forms of hostile or intrusive software".
A virus is not a "worm" (deals with software) nor a "Trojan Horse" (identifies and modifies computing)
2) How do you identify a virus? A virus is usually detected by a antivirus software running on your computer;but, if you're not protected when you access the Internet, open malicious email or share flash drives with another computer user THEN your computer will begin to do "things" you don't want it to do...like shutdown...or wipe your hard drive...or collect information and send to the owner of the virus.
3) What are the possible sources of viruses? The top sources of virus attacks are:
Downloadable Programs
Cracked Software (illegal versions of software)
Email Attachments
The Internet (be vigilant about what you download or even access)
Booting from a CD
Personal note: I bought my first lap-top without purchasing an antivirus program...they said that I "could" get one on the Internet...I connected to the Internet and within seconds a computer virus downloaded into my computer and shut it down. Terror gripped my heart and soul as every time I would open my computer everything would load fine...then 10 seconds after i was "in" it would shut down! It took Dell several tries before they were able to "fix" my bug!
Don't forget that you can get viruses from flash drives!
4) How do you prevent viruses? The best way to prevent viruses is to install a antivirus application program. There are several that are efficient and some that are free. I have personally used AVG (free download) for years and even upgraded to a purchased version to add additional features to my protection and maintenance.
Wikipedia says, "Other commonly used preventive measures include timely operating system updates, software updates, careful Internet browsing and installation of only trusted software." This was quoted from "10 Step Guide to Protect Against Viruses. Bits & PCs. 16 June 2013.
Don't let these kinds of things "bug" you!
When I purchased my first computer there is nothing that I feared more than "viruses"!
Praise God it was a Macintosh computer and immune (it seemed) to the bulk of viruses that were capturing and killing many of my friend's computers.
I will address the following questions:
1) What is a virus?
According to Google a virus is "a piece of code that is capable of copying itself and typically has a detrimental effect, such as corrupting the system or destroying data."
Microsoft simply describes them as "...small software programs that are designed to spread from one computer to another and to interfere with computer operation." Interesting..."the vast majority of viruses (over 99%) target systems running Microsoft Windows".
Wikipedia adds "can be malware (malicious software)...used to disrupt computer operation, gather sensitive information, or gain access to private computer systems"..."...a variety of forms of hostile or intrusive software".
A virus is not a "worm" (deals with software) nor a "Trojan Horse" (identifies and modifies computing)
2) How do you identify a virus?
A virus is usually detected by a antivirus software running on your computer;but, if you're not protected when you access the Internet, open malicious email or share flash drives with another computer user THEN your computer will begin to do "things" you don't want it to do...like shutdown...or wipe your hard drive...or collect information and send to the owner of the virus.
3) What are the possible sources of viruses?
The top sources of virus attacks are:
Personal note: I bought my first lap-top without purchasing an antivirus program...they said that I "could" get one on the Internet...I connected to the Internet and within seconds a computer virus downloaded into my computer and shut it down. Terror gripped my heart and soul as every time I would open my computer everything would load fine...then 10 seconds after i was "in" it would shut down! It took Dell several tries before they were able to "fix" my bug!
Don't forget that you can get viruses from flash drives!
4) How do you prevent viruses?
The best way to prevent viruses is to install a antivirus application program. There are several that are efficient and some that are free. I have personally used AVG (free download) for years and even upgraded to a purchased version to add additional features to my protection and maintenance.
Wikipedia says, "Other commonly used preventive measures include timely operating system updates, software updates, careful Internet browsing and installation of only trusted software." This was quoted from "10 Step Guide to Protect Against Viruses. Bits & PCs. 16 June 2013.